Jharkhand puts cap on booze purchase, closes 1,150 shops

The BJP-led NDA government in Jharkhand will close down 1,150 licensed liquor shops across the state on Tuesday as it prepares to take total control of alcohol sales in the state. The move comes four months after government cracked down against unlicensed abattoirs in the state.Dhritiman Ray | TNN | August 01, 2017, 16:11 IST

On Tuesday, the Raghubar Das government will open 210 liquor shops that will be under the control of the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited (JSBCL), the state's own beverage distribution company. The Jharkhand high court on Monday also junked the liquor sellers' petition challenging the government move.

Aimed at plugging revenue leakages, checking spurious liquor manufacturing and ending cartels that run parallel business, the move will also "encourage people to abstain from consumption of liquor", the government said.

As murmurs get louder within the state BJP for prohibition on liquor, the Das government has also put a cap on purchases and its storage. "One person will be able to buy up to 3.5 liters of liquor from one shop at once. Similarly, an individual can purchase 5.2 liters of beer at once," Avinash Kumar, secretary of the state excise and prohibition department, said on Monday. One person can store up to one carton of liquor at once, Kumar added.

"The takeover of retail sales of alcohol is aimed at regulation of sales. At the same time, awareness campaigns will be undertaken across districts to urge people to shun drinking," an excise department official said. As per the department's data, the new arrangement will result in 40% increase in the state's revenue from the last fiscal, when it earned Rs 900 crore from liquor sales.

Under the new arrangement, JSBCL will be the complete authority in liquor sales and distribution. As many as 650 people, hired on contract and equipped with computers, will man the 210 state-owned liquor stores. Revenue of up to Rs 1,500 crore is projected in the ongoing fiscal.

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